Twist of Fate
by SassyWrit3r
Summary: Everyone knows the tale of Morgan Le Fey. Of how she betrayed her half-brother and allowed black magic to warp and blacken her heart. But what if there had been someone there to help Morgana? To show her that magic could be used for good, and that Arthur would one day return magic. Is Morgana really unredeemable or can she be saved? Morgana/Fem!OC, Merthur
1. Chapter 1

A/n I've always been a fan of good Morgana and while I know in the Arthurian legends she's evil, I feel like in _Merlin_ she was cheated. The only reason she turned bad was because Merlin didn't trust her and she had no one but Morgause for support. That's my reason for writing this fic. Warning: there is a lot of gay romance. I'm a fan of Merthur and I'm lesbian which is why Morgana's going to have an eventual romance with my girl. If you don't like it then please just don't read it. I'm always open for constructive criticism but please no flames!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_ otherwise Morgana would be good and Arthur would've found out about Merlin's magic way earlier.

Prologue

Fate dictated that Morgana Pendragon was to manipulated and hurt until she was twisted beyond recognition and became Morgan Le Fey. She was to use her magic to destroy her half brother and any happiness that either of them could have, and go down in history as the villain. Diana of the Druids was supposed to grow up happily with her mother, father, and twin brother Apollo. Her parents were supposed to grow to a ripe age before passing away peacefully in their sleep, her brother was to be married to his childhood sweetheart and have a daughter of his own, and Diana herself was to never marry but grow up to be a beloved chieftess of her people, surrounded by her family, friend, and creatures of the forest that she so loved.

However when Destiny looked at the future Fate had planned for Morgana, she decreed it wrong. The pain and sadness brought about by her betrayal was too much for everyone, so Destiny changed it. She knew that if she simply made it a happy ending that Fate would find a way to change it back into something horrible, for the balance between happiness and pain in the world must be kept. So in order to make Camelot a better place for all, Destiny brought on pain and death on the girl whose life was to have none of either, but also designed love and happiness to come later in her life in the form of Morgana, whose fate would change because of the love of Diana. So 18 years after Diana was born and 19 after Morgana's birth, the twist of fate began in an attack from Camelot's knights on Diana's peaceful druid clan.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The day that irrevocably changed Diana's life started out as any other. Diana sat by the lake doing laundry and thinking of her beloved mother who passed away three years ago to the day in a bandit attack. She had just finished magically drying the clothes when a scream pierced the serenity of the camp. She quickly ran to the center of the camp to see what was happening and was overwhelmed with the amount of red cloaks that had suddenly invaded her home. Camelot's knights were everywhere and Diana barely had time to process this before a sword was swinging toward her head and all she could do was stand and watch her death approach. Just before the sword reached her it stopped midair as a brilliant blue barrier got in it's way. That split second was all Diana needed to summon up a fireball and throw it at the knight who attacked her. As the knight fell, a young man with curly brown hair and hazel eyes that matched Diana's exactly appeared by her side.

"Apollo, glad to see you're at the top of your game." She said smiling at him.

"Lucky for you sister, that I actually know defensive spells and not just how to attack."

"Attacking has always served me fine before, and I know some defensive spells."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like- Duck!" He immediately followed his sister's command and just after the arrow whizzed past his head she took control of it and sent it back to the archer who shot it.

"Like that." She said with a smirk. "A good offense, is a good defense."

"Yeah. Whatever." He said rolling his eyes at his sister.

"We'll continue this conversation at a different time. For now I need to get my bow." Apollo nodded in agreement and the two jumped back into the fight. Diana got to her tent, dispatching two knights with magic on the way there and finally got her bow. She stepped out of the tent and tried to take aim at one of the knights, but as she looked around she realized that this was not a fight, it was a massacre. Already the majority of her clan lay dead or dying and even more knights were filling into the clearing. Her clan had a considerable amount of offensive magic users but they were barely making a dent. She looked around and to her horror, saw her father lying dead just outside his tent, an arrow sticking out of his neck.

"No!" She yelled and ran towards him. As she ran towards her father, her mind blocked out everything else happening around her and so she didn't see the knight running towards her until his sword cut across her stomach and she dropped to the forest floor, mere feet from her father's body.

* * *

Venus had been Diana's best friend since they were babies. They loved each other like sisters and made a vow after both their mothers died that they would always protect each other. So when their clan came under attack she immediately looked for her 'sister'. She realized very quickly that this was indeed going to be a massacre, their people were dropping too fast and she already saw the soldiers kill their beloved chief and Diana's father. She was growing desperate as the number of red cloaks quickly overwhelmed the green and brown ones when she suddenly heard a shout nearby. She turned towards the shout and finally saw Diana. Her breath caught at the look of complete horror and anguish on her face and she saw that she was staring at her father's body. She had never wished more to save her friend pain then in that moment, then she saw Diana run towards her father when she was suddenly cut down. She watched in anger as Diana fell to the ground clutching her stomach. She quickly summoned one of the trees to life and watched in satisfaction as it ripped the knight from the ground and threw him hard enough into another tree to break open his head. She let the tree keep attacking others while she rushed to Diana's side and swept her into her arms. She used a spell to make Diana lighter and once she was safely in her arms, Venus ran from the camp. As she ran she felt a sudden pain in her side but it barely registered in her desperation to get away. After running for awhile, she decided they were far enough away to be safe for a little bit. She set Diana down and lifted her tunic to see the damage of her wound. It was deep and she was honestly surprised that she was even still alive. For the first time she wished that she was a healer like Diana's brother rather than a fighter. Her healing spells were weak but she did the best she could and after two spells she fixed any internal damage there might have been so the only threat to Diana was bleeding out. Venus ripped a part of her tunic off and tightly wrapped it around her stomach then she finally looked at her own stomach. She pulled the arrow out of her side and quickly bound her own wound, she knew she didn't have much time left but she also knew she had to get Diana somewhere safe before she died. She'd be happy if only one of them survived. So she mustered up her strength and pulled her back into her arms and headed north again.

She didn't know how long she'd been walking when finally she saw what looked like a clearing in the distance. She picked up her speed and burst through the edge of the trees. Once in the clearing she saw a young man picking herbs. The man was dressed simply but radiated so much power that Venus immediately knew who he was. She knew she had minutes to live but she knew that if she could only get Diana to this man then at least she would live. So with great effort, she stumbled over to the man and gently laid Diana down. The startled man stood up and stared cautiously at Venus.

"She's all that's left of us. Protect her Emrys please!" She stared intently into Emrys' eyes and she knew that he would save her. So with one last kiss to Diana's forehead she left the clearing and curled up by a tree and took her last breath.

* * *

Merlin stared at the girl left at his feet. She had straight brown hair, fairly tan skin, and an oval face. He could feel the power from this girl and her friend, albeit hers was quickly dimming, so he knew they were druids. It would be undoubtedly dangerous for this girl in Camelot but he couldn't just leave her to die here, especially when her friend seemed to give her last breath just to protect her. So he gathered her into his arms, grateful for how little she weighed, and slowly made his way back to Camelot.

* * *

A/n For anyone who was wondering about the names, I really love Roman and Greek mythology so a lot of my names and some themes will reflect that. Please review, I wanna know what you guys think.

AndreKl - Thanks for the feedback. Don't worry about Morgana, I have always loved her passion and have never liked Kilgharrah. Diana will be a guide for Morgana and show her how to use her powers for good and protect her, but ultimately let her make her own choices. As for the lesbian part, there won't be much explicit stuff just some kissing and stuff like that, so I hope you'll do ok with that.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Over the next week Gaius and Merlin did everything in their power, magical and non-magical, to heal Diana. Merlin did the most he could to heal her with his magic, but thanks to the uproar he caused carrying a half dead girl into the palace, he couldn't fully heal her without causing a lot of suspicion on them both. So he did the best he could and removed any infection and resupplied her blood so she wouldn't die from either. Gaius sewed up the wound and said that there wasn't much else they could do. They were able to give her water but if she didn't wake up soon she would die from hunger. She woke a few times but she was only coherent once, about 4 days into her recovery. On the fourth day, Merlin was relieved from work for the day to help out Gaius and was keeping an eye on Diana when she finally opened her eyes.

Diana slowly gained full consciousness and quickly became aware of the agonizing pain in her stomach. Her gasp of pain alerted Merlin of her awareness. He quickly shuffled over to her and gently held her down on the table by her shoulders.

"You shouldn't move. That injury to your stomach was severe and we weren't able to get you to swallow any pain droughts while you were sleeping but now that you're awake you should drink this." He offered her a murky purple drink and she was desperate enough to rid herself of the pain that she didn't bother checking the drink before downing it. It left behind a strange aftertaste but almost immediately the pain receded and she was able to think clearly. Merlin removed his hands and allowed her to sit up; as she did so, she reconnected to the magic inside her and instantly felt the power radiating off her helper. She looked at him with new respect in her eyes and bowed her head respectfully before him.

"Emrys. I thank you." Merlin just sighed and lifted her head back up.

"Please don't do that, I'm not a king or anything. And how is it that you druids always know I'm Emrys just by looking at me."

"It's not just by looking at you, we feel you. Your power, it's nothing I've ever felt before. It's like the power you feel off an entire clan of druids, or at least half of one." Merlin himself looked impressed and slightly bewildered.

"I never knew that." Diana smiled softly before she suddenly remember why she needed to be healed in the first place. She paled quickly and looked at Merlin with a faint kind of hope that you know is useless.

"Emrys-"

"Merlin."

"My apologies, Merlin, what happened? How did I get here? Is my family alright?" Her eyes were filled with tears and she already knew that the answer to that last question was no. She saw her father dead before she passed out.

"I was hoping you could tell us what happened. The only thing I know is that your friend brought you to me, told me to keep you safe, and then stumbled away."

"My friend? So someone is alive?" She asked hopefully and Merlin hated having to destroy that hope.

"I don't think so. When she left you with me she was critically wounded but she ran before I could help her. I don't think she survived long after that." Merlin said gently.

"She? Oh, Venus. You wonderful, stupid friend… What about everyone else?"

"I don't think anyone else survived. The only thing..Venus said was 'She's all that's left of us. Protect her.'" Diana nodded and blinked away tears. Merlin looked at her hesitantly.

"If I may. Who exactly are you? I don't even know your name."

"It's Diana, I was daughter of the Chieftain, a princess of sorts I suppose. I was to take his place officially leading our clan on the next crescent moon." She said bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Diana nodded and suddenly felt very tired. She lay back down, turned her back on Merlin, and instantly fell asleep.

She slept straight through the next three days and when Merlin mentioned his concern to Gaius, he simply looked at Merlin sadly and said that physically Diana was fine. Her battle was now mental, whether she lived or died was up to her. During the second day the Lady Morgana came to Gaius for a sleeping draft and when she saw the druid laying on the cot, she instantly felt a connection with the young woman. She decided she would stay with the girl from that point on whenever she was free. The next day Merlin was working for Arthur again, Gaius was doing runs, and so Morgana sat by the girls side and told her of all the happenings in the palace, even if the girl probably wouldn't even understand everything if she was awake.

Diana had no way of telling how long she spent in this void of nothingness before the light came. She knew that something horrible had happened and that she didn't want to go back to it, but she knew that she wanted even less to be swallowed up by that darkness she'd slowly been sinking into. So when the white light came she followed it and slowly became aware of a voice talking. The voice was the prettiest voice she had ever heard.

"...wants to know who you are, and how you got injured so badly. Arthur of course just wants to know how Merlin carried you all the way to the palace by himself. Truly I think he's just proud of Merlin for bothering to help you at all when there seemed to be no hope for you." A pause here from the woman.

"There is hope you know. Gaius says physically you're fine. Sure you still have a stab wound but it's healing well, the whole thing's just mental. I don't know what you went through, but I promise if you just wake up we'll be there to help however we can." Her voice was so genuine, Diana just had to let her know she was ok, so with great effort she moved her hand ever so slightly. It was enough. Morgana saw the small movement, and her eyes flew to the girl's face. She saw that the girl had beautiful hazel eyes that Morgana was sure, combined with the right outfit, could be a magnificent green. The girl was mouthing something and touching her throat and Morgana realized she need water. She grabbed the cup of water from the table and gently lifted the girl's head and pressed the cup to her lips.

"Here you go. That's better, how are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"Of course. Here Merlin told me to give this to you for the pain if you woke up." Morgana said holding out a familiar vial of purple liquid. Diana smiled ever so slightly and took it gratefully. Once she drank it she felt the familiar sensation of pain falling away. Once the pain was gone she took a good look at this new savior. She had curly black hair, pale skin, and perfect green eyes.

"Th-Thank you"

"Of course." Morgana said smiling.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm Lady Morgana, and you're in the physician's chambers in Camelot." At this Diana's eyes widened in alarm.

"Did you say Camelot?" Morgana nodded, confused.

"Yes, Camelot. Is that bad?" Diana thought quickly.

"No, not at all. I just used to live far from Camelot and I didn't realize that V-Venus got me so far before…" Morgana looked at her sympathetically.

"Yes, Merlin told me of your friend. Diana, I am sorry."

"I see you know my name already. What else did Merlin tell you?" She asked desperate to change the subject and Morgana obliged.

"That was pretty much all. We don't know much more about you than you do about us."

"Well-" Whatever her response would have been was cut off as the physician's door was opened. In came Merlin already talking to Morgana before even looking in the room.

"Morgana, Arthur-" Merlin stopped as he saw Diana sitting up, clear eyed, and obviously talking to Morgana.

"She's awake!" He said grinning.

"Yes she is. What does Arthur want?" Morgana asked.

"Right, Arthur says that King Uther requires both of your presence for some royal stuff and the like."

"Alright I suppose I should go." Turning back to Diana, Morgana smiled.

"If you need anything just send a servant or paige for me and I'll be here right away. Also know that once Uther knows you're awake he'll want a conference with you immediately." Diana swallowed and nodded. Morgana smiled comfortingly.

"Don't worry he's not actually that bad." With that she left to find her fellow royals.

Once Morgana left, Diana turned to Merlin. A smile was on her face but her eyes held a dangerous anger.

"So, Merlin. From what I understand my dear friend Venus gave her life to get me to you, told you to protect, and then you decided to bring me to Camelot. In what way is bringing me into the home of the tyrant who just destroy everything and everyone I love helping me?!" Merlin flinched.

"To be fair, I didn't know Uther completely destroyed your camp. And Camelot is the only place I knew to take you. This is my home, and I trust the royal physician completely."

"How is it that the great Emrys is living in Camelot, clearly friends with the royalty, and not trying to protect his people from Uther?" Merlin sighed but explained.

"You seem pretty reasonable so I'll be honest. I hate Uther, and there are many times I have wished to remove him from power but I protect him for Arthur. Arthur would be destroyed if his father died and I believe with the right people around him, Arthur _will_ return magic to the land. Arthur is the once and future king."

"Truly?"

"Yes, I hated him as well in the beginning but he has come a long way from the prat I had to serve a year ago. He and Morgana truly deserve my friendship, and I theirs." Diana thought about this.

"My mother was a seer and she used to tell me that I would one day change the world. That my influence on powerful people and love for one of them would save our kingdom. I always figured she was just talking about me being the next chief of our clan but perhaps she saw this. She knew I'd come to Camelot one day and she knew it'd be important to stay. So I'll stay, now I just need to know what I should tell the King about what happened to me." Merlin nodded.

"I've been thinking about that. You said that you were a sort of princess in your clan. That works well for you here. Uther will help any noble he can so I'd say tell him you are a lady whose father owned property on the edge of his land. You were attacked by bandits and barely escaped with your life. You can fill in the details however you wish." Diana thought about it.

"Ok that sounds reasonable enough. When will I have this audience with the King?"

"When I came in, the guard who was outside these quarters heard you awake and went to tell the King so it's likely he'll send someone for you very soon."

"Very well. Do I have better clothes that I could change into for the audience?" Merlin smiled.

"That I have. You can thank Gwen for it, she knew you'd need new clothes when you awoke so she got you a dress that would befit a lady." He disappeared into his room and reappeared with a gown. The dress was both simple and elegant. It was a light purple color that fell to the floor and had full length sleeves. It was a light flowing fabric so it wouldn't hurt any of her injuries. Diana took the outfit and disappeared into Merlin's room to privately change. It was a bit of a struggle to get the gown on and it pulled at her stab wound but she eventually got it on. She looked in the mirror and combed her fingers through her brown hair. Her reflection was still very pale, she had small scratches on her hands and face, and her hair just hung down her back but it was the best she was going to get. Perhaps it was good that she didn't look perfect, it showed the struggle she has gone through.

She left the room and when she entered the main physician's room she noticed a guard standing with Merlin. As they noticed her Merlin told her that the guard was to escort her to the throne room. She followed the guard through a maze of corridors until she found herself in front of two large oak doors. They were pulled open from inside and Diana walked into the room full of the court. Right in front of her was the king. He had a stern face, and his eyes held thinly veiled annoyance, however his smile was amiable. To his right sat the golden haired prince. He held himself like any royal but his eyes were open, holding no secrets, and Diana appreciated that. To the left of the King sat the beautiful Lady Morgana, looking every bit as kind as she did earlier that day. The King beckoned Diana forward.

"Come. What is your name, and what ill fortune fell upon you?" Uther asked not unkindly. Diana took a deep breath and prepared her story.

"My name is Diana Vestas. My father was Romas Vestas, Lord of the Becken Manor. It's a small land on the border of Camelot but my family have been Lords over the land for centuries. Last week, our manor was attacked by a large group of bandits that had been terrorizing our land for a couple weeks. My father thought the group was small and that he'd be able to take care of it on his own. He greatly underestimated them. There were at least thirty of them and not many of our own soldiers on our land at the time. They slaughtered half of our people before we even knew what was happening. My mother died when I was young and so I was raised by my father. Being so I had been taught how to fight since I was a child. I was using a bow to take down the bandits when one came up from the side and slashed my side, that is how I was injured. My best friend Venus must have managed to carry me all the way to where the servant Merlin found me before her injuries overcame her. From what I saw of my home before I was struck down, I don't believe anyone survived, nor do I believe any of the land was left untouched." As she finished her tale, she took a deep breath to compose herself. Uther nodded sympathetically and his eyes now held genuine kindness.

"I understand this ordeal must have been very hard on you. I'm sorry for everything you have lost but if you wish it so, Camelot can become your new home. If your home has been completely destroyed and your family killed like you say it was then I would be happy to make you my second ward." Diana was surprised by the amount of relief she felt at that statement and was thus able to to summon up genuine tears of gratitude.

"Thank you, my King. That is a great relief to hear."

"Of course, my dear girl. Now if you are ready I can have a servant show you to some quarters that you will be able to choose from." Diana nodded but Morgana grabbed the King's attention.

"If you would. my Lord. I will be returning to my chambers and my maidservant Gwen would be glad to show Diana her new chambers."

"Very well, if you wish so." Morgana smiled, then stood up and beckoned for Diana to follow her. Once they got a significant way away from the throne room and towards the girls' chambers, Morgana struck up conversation.

"I'm sure it's nothing like your old home but we will be in the East wing, up the right staircase. Uther will most likely try to get you a maidservant. Until you get one or if you refuse, then Gwen has agreed to help you with basic things. She'll bring you breakfast with mine, wash our clothes together, and help us both get ready in the morning. However I do not wish to ask her to help you with anymore than that so if you don't wish to clean your own chambers then I suggest you get your own maidservant."

"I don't mind doing that, and I'd rather not have a maidservant." Morgana smiled.

"Good. Oh, I forgot I haven't introduced you to Gwen, have I? Well this is my maidservant and friend Guinevere. Technically she's not supposed to be my friend but you seem like the kind of girl who doesn't really care about class." Diana smiled and turned her attention to Gwen.

"No of course not. How are you Guinevere, I'm Diana." Gwen curtsied to Diana.

"A pleasure to meet you, my Lady. If you wish, most people just call me Gwen."

"Very well, I will call you Gwen, if you call me Diana when we're not in public." Gwen nodded and the three girls continued on their way. After seeing all the rooms, Diana chose the room that had purple, silver, and black accents. It also happened to be right next to Morgana's room with a secret passage to her room that the girls would discover later. After choosing a room, Morgana insisted they go shopping to fill in her closet and Diana conceded. They bought her five dresses of varying styles, shoes and accessories to go with each one, two night dresses, a dark purple cloak, as well as a pair of trousers and a tunic at her insistence. By nightfall Diana was exhausted and Morgana and Gwen could tell that they might have pushed her too hard. They returned to her chambers and Gwen forced Diana to lay down on her bed while Morgana organized her armoire, and Gwen got her soup for a quick dinner. After eating the soup some of her color returned to her skin but she was thoroughly exhausted. Gwen and Morgana bade her goodnight and she fell asleep before they had even closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Shortly after Diana officially became Uther's second ward, she returned to her camp. The moment she teleported in she broke down crying. The once beautiful clearing that her clan used to occupy was destroyed. Some trees were destroyed, tents were burned and there were scorch marks on the ground, and all around her were bodies of her friends and family slowly decaying. After she calmed down she gathered all her clan into a mass grave that she marked with a beautiful blossom tree that was one of the few trees left untouched. By the time that was finished there were still two bodies left. Her father and her twin brother. Their bodies had been right next to each other and Diana had no doubt that Apollo was cut down while futilely trying to heal their father. Diana burned their bodies as was the traditional passing for the chief and their family members.

After that day Diana tried to make it back to the memorial once a month. Three months later Diana was adjusting well. She still disliked Uther, but she was no longer frightened of him nor did she wish for revenge. She had made friends with Merlin and Gwen, and even Arthur. She realized Arthur was nothing like his father and strangely she felt she could trust him. The massacre she witnessed meant she automatically hated all Knights of Camelot, however two of them grew on her. Leon had a good heart, and while he was loyal to Uther, he followed Arthur more. Lancelot was unlike any other knight, Diana found out that he had been a peasant before he saved the kingdom from a griffin and Arthur made him a knight. He had a kind heart, didn't seem to have any hatred toward magic users, and she was fairly sure that he and Gwen had feelings for each other. As for Morgana, she was by far the closest to Diana. Since that first morning Diana felt a connection to Morgana and she was so different from the other ladies of the court. She stood up to Uther about what she felt was right, and she didn't care about dresses and court pleasantries like the other ladies.

Today was the three month anniversary of her clan's massacre so Diana made sure to make Uther believe she was sick so that she'd be able to spend some time at the memorial that day. Once everyone finished giving her their well wishes, making sure she was comfortable, and left her to rest, she changed into her trousers and tunic and teleported to the memorial. She brought flowers for her father, brother, and Venus' graves that she marked, even though she burned her family's bodies and could never find Venus'. After, she sat against the Blossom Tree marking the grave of the rest of her people and freely played with her magic or worked on her writing, which she often did to pass the time. Once it reached late afternoon Diana stood up, said goodbye to each grave, and teleported back to her room. She appeared back in her room and once she took in her surroundings, she gasped in fear. Instead of the empty room she had been expecting, not 3 feet from Diana stood Morgana, eyes wide with surprise.

"Morgana." Diana somehow managed to choke out. Morgana quickly glanced at the door and seeing that it was securely shut, grabbed Diana's hand and pulled her to the bed. Worried that any wrong movement would cause Morgana to go running to Uther, Diana followed her silently. They both sat on the bed and Morgana opened her mouth a couple times, not sure what to say. Finally she spoke.

"You're not really the daughter of a deceased Lord of Camelot, are you?"

"No." Diana answered hesitantly and Morgana gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell Uther about your _gifts_ as long as you swear to me that you're not here to hurt anyone in Camelot." Diana smiled in relief.

"I swear on my brother's soul, I have no wish to harm anyone in Camelot...except possibly the knights associated with the massacre of my people."

"Massacre? What really happened to you the day Merlin found you?" Diana took a deep breath, double checked that the door was tightly closed and no one was eavesdropping, then proceeded to tell Morgana the true story of the day of the attack. Once she finished they both sat in silence, while Morgana digested the horror of the events of that day.

"My God! No wonder you were so frightened the day I told you you were in Camelot. I'm so sorry. You're a much better person than I, I don't think I could stand being in the same room with any royalty of Camelot if I was you."

"Well, I wasn't in the beginning. However as time passed, I realized that you and Arthur are different. Neither of you openly seek to kill those with magic and I remember the time you told me of the druid boy you rescued. Plus when I was angry at Uther someone told me something very wise, if I killed Uther then I'd be no better than him. I'd just be another killer. As time passed I also realized that Uther's hatred comes from fear, and that he truly cares for those close to him. He'd do anything to protect you and Arthur, and I think he's starting to care for me the same. Of course if he found out about my magic I have no doubt he'd still have me burned."

"Which is why we'll make sure he never finds out about it." Morgana said and squeezed Diana's hand resting on the bed.

"Thank you, but why are you so supportive of magic. I understand why you would help a child not be killed, but you were raised believing all who carry magic are evil? Why trust me?" Morgana took a deep breath and for the first time during their conversation she actually looked worried.

"Because you're not the only one of Uther's wards who has magic." Diana's eyes widened as the meaning of that statement hit her.

"Wait. You have magic?!" She exclaimed, barely above a whisper. Morgana nodded her head.

"I think I've had it since birth. I wasn't aware until just about a month before you came. I've always had dreams of the future but I always thought they were just nightmares. Then just before you arrived, my dreams starting waking me in the night and my magic would come out. I broke my window and started a fire in my bedroom the first time I realized I had magic. At the time I was terrified. Now looking back it's kinda funny. " She said with a small smile.

"Anyways, I thought I was alone and I was so scared, but then Merlin helped me get to the druids and they helped me understand what was happening. From that point I decided to use my magic for good, and show the people of Camelot that one day magic can be accepted back. But it's been hard being alone in all this, it'll be nice having someone else around who understands." The girls smiled at each other but then a look Morgana couldn't identify entered Diana's eyes.

"Wait. You mean you were completely alone. No one else has magic here? The only thing Merlin did for you was show you to the druids?"

"Yes. Of course no one else has magic, and Merlin was amazing to show me to the druids. I barely believed he would keep my secret, let alone do that."

"Right. Merlin was very thoughtful." Diana said but her face said the opposite.

"Well, you are supposed to be sick, so I should probably leave and you should change if you want to keep up pretenses."

"Ok, but could you send Merlin up?" At Morgana's questioning look Diana elaborated.

"To keep up the pretense that I'm sick, it'd be good to request for the physician's assistant. Plus I could actually use a sleeping draught so I can take a nap."

"Of course. Have a good day."

Approximately ten minutes later, Merlin finally came to her chambers. He knocked on her door and she called for him to enter. Before he could say anything once he entered her room, she commanded him to close the door. Once the door was securely closed Merlin turned back to Diana and cautiously held out a sleeping draught.

"Morgana said you needed something to help you sleep."

"Hmm. Did she also tell you that she was alone in having magic in this palace?" Diana asked, eyes screaming in accusation and completely ignoring the sleeping draught.

"Um...what?" Merlin asked nervously.

"Well you see I learned something really interesting today. Apparently Morgana discovered she had magic a couple months ago and terrified, she let it slip to only one person. And apparently that one person was generous enough to keep her secret and show her to the druids. So tell me Merlin, why in all of Camelot did you send Morgana to the druids instead of telling her about your magic and showing her she had someone to lean on here in the palace?" Diana asked with simmering anger. Merlin shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with the anger being directed at him.

"Well you see, I had good reasons. Both Gaius and Kilgharrah, the dragon, warned me not to tell her. That it was too dangerous and the dragon-"

"I don't care what the dragon said. I know exactly who Kilgharrah is. The first night I was here he called to me and tried to warn me of her as well. Only thing he didn't count on is me having grown up in a druid clan and knowing full well the nature of dragons. Let me explain something to you Merlin, dragons don't care about people. A lifetime to a dragon is but seconds in their mind. They live so long that they care nothing for mortal lives, they get entertainment from manipulating mortals. They know the full prophecies but they also choose which parts to tell a person and like to see how they react according to that one piece of information. Kilgharrah was right when he told you that Morgana is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love. But that was only half of the prophecy. My great-great-grandmother was the seer who gave that prophecy, so I've heard this prophecy since I was a child. The full prophecy is this: When the warlock Emrys enters Camelot, he will meet the witch Morgan Le Fey. He will have two choices, if he chooses to help her then she will grow to be a powerful ally and will help bring the Once and Future King to his true potential. If on the other hand Emrys turns his back on her and lets her love die then she will become the darkness to his light, the hatred to his love and will bring about the demise of the Once and Future King." Silence descended on the room as Merlin processed this new prophecy and decided whether to trust her or the dragon.

"That lizard! How dare he manipulate me again! I've trusted him and all he does is twist things to his liking!" Merlin exploded and Diana hid her smile.

"That is the nature of dragons. As I said earlier, they take joy in manipulating mortals. Now that you know the full prophecy I hope that you will seriously consider telling Morgana of your magic. I know it's not easy to break a lifetime of secrecy especially when you're worried if your friends will still treat you the same but Morgana needs support. I will be there for her as much as I can be but having more than one person show her the goodness in magic will be good for her."

"I'll try." Diana nodded.

"Good, that's all I ask. Now I am actually drained so if you'll leave the sleeping draught with me I think I shall rest."

"Of course, my Lady. Sleep well." He set the potion on her bedside table and then saw himself out. Diana downed the potion and then settled under her covers, content with how the day had turned out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Time seemed to fly by. Almost a year passed since Diana came to Camelot and a lot had changed in her life. She desperately missed Venus at times but she had made very good friends in Camelot. Merlin told Morgana about his magic 4 days after his talk with Diana and since then the three of them have spent many nights in the woods practicing their magic freely with each other and teaching Morgana to control hers. Each of them specialized in a different form of magic. Merlin was best at defensive and healing spells, but since he was the most powerful warlock to ever live, he was very good at offensive spells when he needed to use them. Offensive spells came naturally to Morgana so that is what she worked on the most, along with learning to control her dreams as a Seer, and Diana specialized in teleportation and nature spells. Over the time that passed Diana realized why her feelings for Morgana were so strong. She had fallen for Uther's raven ward. In the druid camps there was no limitations on relationships. Diana had known quite a few happily married same-sex couples, but she knew that in the tight ship Uther ran that her feelings would be considered disgraceful and could possibly get her killed. So she hid her feelings and pretended that Morgana was just like a sister to her.

That was all set to change the day Morgana and Diana decided to go on a ride. The day was no different than any other spring day. The two girls simply wanted relax and so Uther permitted them to go riding for the day as long as they had a guard accompany them. They were bitter about being followed but they allowed the guard to come. They rode long and far. They passed into the dark forest and the girls were enjoying the nature around them when disaster struck. An arrow whizzed through the air, and their guard dropped dead. Some seemingly ordinary bandits came out of the trees and the two girls frantically looked at each other. They linked hands and Diana opened her mouth to teleport them out when blackness took over her vision and she prayed to anyone listening that they would make it out of this alive.

* * *

When Diana woke up the first thing she noticed was the hard compact dirt beneath her. The second was that she was disconnected with her magic. She bolted upright and felt around her neck and wrists for any collars or chains that would suppress her magic. None were there and then she recognized the smell. _Damn._ She recognized the smell and knew there was no way she could use her magic to get out of whatever mess she found herself in. A groan alerted her to the fact that she was not alone in this tent. She spun around and found Morgana lying further in the tent. She quickly crawled over to her and started shaking her.

"'Gana. Wake up. Come on Morgana." She said with a distinctly harder push and Morgana opened her eyes. They were wide with fright but calmed slightly when they settled on Diana.

"Di, what happened?" She asked as she sat up.

"I don't know. I was going to teleport us out of the attack when I think I was hit on the head. I blacked out and when I awoke we were here. Gana, _we can't connect to our magic._ " Morgana's eyes widened and she frantically tried to do _any_ spell.

"What happened? Why isn't it working?!"

"Have you ever heard of Fennel?" Morgana shook her head and Diana elaborated.

"Fennel is a weed. Perfectly harmless to most people and lots of people eat them if they are poor. It's easy to find and actually doesn't taste too bad, but for people with magic it's dangerous. If you crush up Fennel and then burn it as incense, it suppresses sorcerer's powers. As long as a sorcerer can smell Fennel, they can't use magic. Once they get away from it, the effects usually only last for a couple hours, although for more powerful users who have been around it long enough it can last up to a couple days away to wear off. Someone knows we have magic if they're burning Fennel, but we don't know how much they know so I say we pretend we don't know anything and see what they tell us." Morgana nodded and suddenly two men entered the tent. The girls automatically moved closer to each other to offer support. The larger of the two men smiled menacingly at the wards.

"Well, well, looks like our sleeping beauties have finally awoken."

"What do you want?" Morgana asked defiantly.

"We want money. Your King will pay anything for his beloved wards and we intend to collect a very steep price for you two. Even if he only pays for one of you we will be quite rich and take _very_ well care of the one he doesn't take back." Both women internally flinched at what he meant by taking care of.

"Oh and don't expect a daring rescue. We know someone in your court is using magic but they won't be able to save you. We've got something to counteract their magic. But don't you think it's quite hypocritical for Uther to ban magic and use a sorcerer to keep his family safe at the same time." Morgana and Diana looked at each other. The bandits knew someone used magic but he didn't know who. That was good, they were still semi-safe. Now they just had to find a way to get out of the camp and into the woods long enough for their magic to come back. Thinking quickly, Diana spoke.

"If you are going to keep us for an extended period of time, the least you could do is let us bathe. Sleeping in the dirt has made me feel very unsanitary." The large man laughed.

"Very well, Princess. If it makes you feel better, you can bathe but Mark will guard you." The man said while indicating the smaller but no less terrifying man next to him.

The two women stood up and followed Mark out of the tent. A quick scan of the camp showed about 35 bandits who actually looked more organized and better supplied than either ward had first thought. As they left the camp and got closer to the river, the sorceresses whispered to each other.

"I don't know what your plan is but here's what I propose, we both saw this scums face light up when the leader said he'd be able to "guard" us, so I bet he'll insist he keeps an eye on you while you bathe. You draw his attention away and while he's distracted I'll get the sword off his belt and knock him out. As soon as he's out, we run as fast and as far as we can."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Quiet! No talking!" Mark yelled from behind them. They reached the river and like the girls predicted Mark insisted on "guarding" Diana. Once she got down to her under slip Morgana pulled the sword and knocked the guard out. The two girls took off as fast as they could in their dresses. They only had a short head start as they quickly heard the other bandits chasing them. Diana ran slower than Morgana but the darker ward refused to leave her even a foot behind. Trees scratched their faces and arms but they pushed through the small pinpricks of pain, praying that they could just stay ahead long enough to get their magic back. Diana dropped a little further behind Morgana and somehow during their run the sword had switched from Morgana's hand to Diana's.

So it happened that before the girls could escape one of the bandits managed to catch up with Diana. He grabbed the back of her dress, causing her to fall backward and let out a yelp. Upon hearing her friend cry out, Morgana looked back and started to run back.

"No! Run Morgana! Get home, I'll keep them off you as long as I can." Morgana stopped conflicted, but as Diana turned towards the incoming swarm of bandits her flight instinct took over and she ran as far as she could, trying to keep the memory of Diana facing a whole army of bandits by herself away.

As the bandits kept coming, Diana had never been happier that she learned how to defend herself with a sword as well as magic. She wasn't sure how long she kept the bandits at bay but her body was quickly tiring. The men attacking her suddenly stopped as the leader from before stepped up. He ripped the sword from her tired arms and backhanded her hard enough for her to stumble slightly.

"You bitch! Do you know what you just cost me?! Now I will only get half of what I planned to ransom the both of you for. The price was steep enough for each of you there's no way the King will pay the same price for only one of you." The anger in his eyes was suddenly accompanied by something else.

"Or maybe not. Maybe I can get the same price for you that I would have ransomed the two of you for. Congratulations Princess, you saved your friend but you are in for a much worse fate." The man smiled a cruel smile as his plan continued to form itself in his head.

Morgana didn't know how long she ran. She could have been running for minutes or hours but finally she recognized where she was. The woods were getting thinner and she recognized one of the clearings she ran through as a place that her, Gwen, and Diana liked to have picnics. She broke through a group of closely grown trees and ran right into someones arms. She almost screamed when she realized the arms felt particularly comforting and then the voice broke through her haze of fright.

"Morgana! Are you alright? Where's Diana?"

"Arthur?! Oh my God Arthur. They have her, she kept them away so that I could get away. I'm sorry, I should have stayed with her!" She rambled. Arthur grabbed her face gently and stared into her eyes.

"Slower Morgana. What happened?" Morgana took a deep breath and then explained what happened.

"During our ride Diana and I were attacked by bandits. Our guard was killed and we were knocked out. When we woke up they said they wanted to ransom us but Diana had a plan to get us out of there before anything else could happen. We ran but she was slower than me. The bandits were catching up and she had a sword so she told me to run while she fought them. They probably captured or killed her by now." Morgana was close to tears again by the end of her story as she thought about Diana by herself surrounded by evil men. Arthur pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't worry 'Gana. We'll return to Camelot and tell father everything. I'm sure we'll get a ransom note soon about Diana and then father will get her back. She's his ward as much as you are and he'll pay anything to get her back too." Arthur said comfortingly. Morgana pulled out of Arthur's embrace.

"Thank you Arthur. Now we need to get back and save Diana as soon as possible."

"Of course." With that the siblings and the knights Arthur brought on his search for the girls turned back and quickly went on their way to Camelot. They made it back by nightfall and immediately sought out Uther. When they found him Uther embraced Morgana happily before letting them know that the ransom note for Diana had already arrived. He told Arthur to have five knights prepared to leave at dawn the next morning and be ready to turn over the money for Diana.

Everyone was prepared well before dawn and the small caravan, consisting of the royal family, their servants, and five knights, traveled through the Darkling Woods to the official meeting spot. There they found five bandits standing in a clearing with one holding a knife to the neck of a girl with a hood over her head. Uther held his hand up to stop his men, then pulled the purse full of gold off his belt and tossed it to the leader. The man checked the gold and pushed the girl forward so she knew she could walk.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The leader said with a malevolent smile before signaling his men to leave. The girl stumbled across the clearing and Uther jumped off his horse to catch her. He pulled the hood off her head and stumbled back in shock. The girl in front of him had blond hair, green eyes, and was most definitely not Diana. Rage covered the King's face and he pulled the gag off the girl's face.

"Where is Diana?!" The girl was trembling and crying but she managed to answer him in between sobs.

"I don't know. I was picking flowers on the edge of the forest when the men gagged me, changed my clothes and brought me here. I'm sorry my Lord!" Uther looked like he wanted to slap her but Arthur stepped forwards.

"Father, this girl was clearly as much a victim of this as we were. We should let her go and figure out where Diana really is."

"You're right son. We'll return to Camelot and then we will use every resource we have to track these bandits down and find Diana."

"Of course father." The King and Prince got back on their horses and after returning the girl safely to her village, at Morgana's insistence, returned to Camelot to start the search for the missing ward.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

The next morning Diana found herself in an old manor. The place was disgusting and looked like it should be abandoned but was indeed being used by a band of outlaws. Kendrick was ruthless but was well respected among his men. He dealt in almost every form of illegal activity possible. He was a smuggler, slave trader, and now he was in the business of ransoming. The price he paid for the Lady Diana was steep but he knew he could get an even steeper price from the King if he played his cards right, and if he could not then she had other ways she could reward him, she was a beauty after all. He smiled at the sullen lady.

"Come, my Lady. We must make sure you're well looked after until the King pays your ransom." She glowered at him but followed nevertheless. He led her to a nicer but still very grungy room.

"You may freshen up here but you will be required at the feast tonight. You will be our honored guest until it's time for you to go but you will always have two guards following you." The lady still refused to respond so with a disappointed sigh Kendrick left her alone.

As Diana was taken to her room she hid a limp that she got from a sprained ankle from trying to escape, and kept an eye on where she was taken so she could remember the blueprint in her mind. Once she was left alone, she laid down on the bed and tried to plot an escape route. Her magic had yet to return so she couldn't count on that to get her out. She closed her eyes in frustration but she didn't count on being as tired as she was. Her body was exhausted and she slipped into an unwelcome nap. Diana startled awake when Kendrick entered her room. Judging from the light outside, it was around supper time.

"Ah my Lady, you're looking refreshed." Diana remained silent, internally cursing herself for falling asleep. He sighed deeply.

"Still not speaking I see. What must I do to get you to appreciate me?" Diana examined him coolly.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have traded with that barbarian for me. Or better yet, not have ransomed me and allowed me to return home."

"My lady, if I had not taken you from Romulus then you would be in much worse hands. And I may be a gentleman but one must do business, and I'm afraid ransoming you is part of my business." Diana scoffed.

"Please. You're no gentleman. You're a slaver, smuggler, and scoundrel. Don't think that I don't know why you are treating me like this; we both know the only reason you are being so pleasant is because you want to be able to ransom me without getting Uther angry at you for treating me badly." The man's agreeableness vanished, replaced with a scowl.

"Very well, if you wish to be treated like a hostage then you will be. However tonight I promised my men a sight of the Lady Diana and I won't deny them that. You will come to the feast, sit at my right hand and after, you will be returned to this room and to remain with two guards and may not request anything." The lady nodded her head.

"Good. I don't find pretenses favorable." Kendrick just turned around and beckoned for Diana to follow. She followed and watched as two guards stepped up behind her. They entered a room that was the nicest of the entire manor. The walls and ceiling looked new, and it appeared that the whole room had recently been built around a courtyard. There was a large area of stone blocked off by a gate, that appeared to be a fighting range, while around it were tables and chairs. It appeared that dinner would be accompanied by some sort of fight for entertainment.

The room was full of Kendrick's men and the tables were full of food. The table at the front though remained empty. Kendrick took the main seat and Diana was motioned into the chair on his right. Immediately after the two were seated, everyone commenced eating. Diana was loath to like anything in this bandit infested hovel, but the food was amazing. It could have been because she had not eaten since just before her and Morgana's ride almost 3 days ago, but in any case the food was the one good thing about this place. Diana ate the majority of the boar and fruit on her plate before Kendrick stood up.

"Men! Today we are honored to have Lady Diana joining us. She will be our respected guest for the next week and in light of that we will have only the best of entertainment tonight." The crowd cheered before he quieted them.

"Now, our first two warriors will be between Roderick and Jon!" Two men stepped into the fighting zone as each name was was very large, had scraggly black locks, and a mean scar from his left temple to right jaw. The other was only slightly smaller, with long black curls, and a small scar on his right temple. Each had a long-sword. The men eyed each other while waiting for the fight to start.

"Let the Gladiator Games begin!" Kendrick announced and then sat down eagerly to watch the fight. Diana stopped eating as soon as she realized what was happening in her "honor." She watched in morbid fascination as the men savagely attacked each other.

The larger one with the mean scar attacked with all his weight behind the attack. Every attack was powerful and deadly. The smaller man used the other man's brute force to his advantage. His attacks were quicker and lighter but just as deadly. The larger man struck at the smaller one powerfully but the smaller one evaded him. Before he could recover for another attack the more nimble one darted forward and sliced open the man's throat. He dropped to his knees before falling to the ground dead, and as quickly as the fight started it ended. Two of Kendrick's men stepped into the fighting ring and dragged the dead body out while the winner stepped up to the center.

"The winner - Jon!" Kendrick announced and the crowd cheered. The winner accepted the applause before leaving the ring and two other men prepared to enter it. Diana quickly learned that there were many more fights to come. The one after Jon's was between two men with a sword and shield, then came maces, then any two weapons one wanted, then the winner of the sword/shield against Jon, then mace's winner against dual weapon's winner, and finally the winner of the previous two fights against each other. As the fights wore on it became obvious that the latter warriors were well known among the bandits. The winner of the maces had a lot of cheering as did both dual weaponists. Jon however seemed to come as a surprise to the crowd. He won every one of his fights and by the time he made it to finals it was clear he was a skilled fighter. For the finals he was up against the duel weaponist, Titan. They were each allowed whatever two weapons they wanted and the fight started. Both circled each other, neither one wanting to make the mistake of attacking rashly. This was the third fight of the day for both of them and neither one wanted to rush into it.

After a solid two minutes of sizing each other up Jon finally made the first move. Before anyone could blink he darted forwards and sliced at Titan's gut. Just as quickly Titan blocked him with his short-sword. The two broke apart and titan struck out with his mace. Jon darted to the side but it still clipped his shoulder. He swiped with his sword and cut Titan's thigh. Titan glared and aimed for Jon's stomach. The blade was mostly blocked by his shield but still managed to thinly cut into his side. Both men backed into defensive positions and waited for the other to show an opening. Jon jumped forward and cut Titan's arm deep enough for him to drop his short-sword and he growled at Jon. He charged Jon and savagely attacked him. He brought his mace down on Jon's shield again and again until Jon's arm gave out and he dropped his shield. Titan raised his arm high, ready to bring his mace down on Jon's head for a killing blow, but Jon had been waiting for such a move. With his arms held high Titan left his chest unprotected and before he could bring his attack down on Jon, he found a blade cutting through his heart. Jon pulled his sword out of Titan's chest and the man fell to the ground dead.

The cheering of the crowd was deafening. Many of the men at the tables stood up and pounded on the tables, cheering for the best fight they had seen in a long time. Diana had seen many duels before but never was one as deadly and vicious as the one she just witnessed. She felt sick. Beside her Kendrick was smiling broadly. He stood up and his booming voice silenced the crowd.

"Jon Heartcrusher! You have beaten all of my chosen warriors and proven yourself my champion! In honor of that I allow you the privilege of eating at my table. You will take the seat beside Lady Diana. May you enjoy the food, and Congratulations!" He sat back down and Jon made his way out of the fighting ring and to the seat at Diana's right. The rest of the night flew by and she thanked the Gods that Jon never tried to speak to her nor looked upon her in an unfavorable way. Late into the night Diana was finally allowed to retire for the night and escape all the bandit's hungry eyes. She was thrown into her room and she crawled into her bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Diana was awoken early the next day by the bright dawn sunlight shining in her face. She squeezed her eyes closed and wished that she could just fall back asleep. She shot into a sitting position with a gasp as she felt her magical powers rising within her. She grinned to herself. Now all she had to do was get outside this building and see where she was at so she would know where she could teleport herself to. Teleportation had a distance limit and she wasn't about to kill herself by attempting to teleport herself too far when she was so close to escaping. She quietly got out of bed and tiptoed to the door. She placed her ear on the door and listened to any noise coming from the other side. The only thing she heard was snoring. _Perfect._ She used her magic to unlock the door and quietly opened it. She saw her two guards sleeping outside her door and placed an extended sleeping spell on them so they wouldn't wake up, no matter how loud it got around them. She stole the bow and quiver of arrows from one of the guards then proceeded on with her escape.

She was grateful that she managed to remember most of the winding corridors the day before. She knew that she was almost at the mansions back exit when she stopped suddenly. She breathed shallowly and listened around the corner. She heard three sets of footsteps. It must have been guards starting their patrol and she thought they could be useful. She could put two to sleep with her magic then use the third to figure out an easier escape. She loaded an arrow onto her bow, in case he needed extra incentive, and rounded the corner.

Her bow was met with two shining swords and just before her magic lashed out at the three figures, she recognized them.

"Arthur! Lancelot, Merlin. What are you all doing here?" She yelled, just above a whisper.

"Not rescuing you apparently." Arthur said grumpily and Diana smiled lightly at him.

"Well with you here i have guards and you can probably find the exit quicker than me."

"True. In that case let's get you out of here before our luck turns around and we all wind up captured." The three men encircled her and they quickly made their way back the way the men entered.

It took less than five minutes for Arthur to lead them to the exit. soon all four of them were swiftly galloping back to Camelot. When they got a safe distance away from Kendrick's manor they slowed their horses to a steady walk and Diana spoke.

"So how exactly did you find and come to rescue me so quickly?"

"Well we got a ransom note from Romulus first and father gathered the money to pay it. When we gave him the money he gave us a girl who wasn't you. We returned her to her village then returned to Camelot to place a search party. Late last night we got a ransom note from Kendrick. Father didn't want the same thing to happen again so he told me to take whoever and whatever I needed to swiftly get here and rescue you. I got Lancelot and of course _Mer_ lin refused to be left behind so we got the three fastest horses and galloped all through the night to get you."

"Well thank you, _all_ of you, for this daring rescue."

"Your welcome."

As silence descended on the four they urged their horses back into a gallop and made it back to Camelot just before duck, alternating between galloping and walking for the horses health. In the courtyard the men got off their horses and Arthur helped Diana down. Some servants came to take the horses away. On the way up the steps Diana cursed her sprained ankle as she had to subtly lean against Arthur to get up them. Before the quartet made it fully into the castle they were interrupted by a purple blur. Lancelot opened his arms just in time to catch Guinevere. They hugged each other tightly and the other three looked away to give the couple their privacy. After Guinevere's reunion with her beloved, she hugged Merlin, curtsied politely to Arthur and lightly hugged Diana. She pulled out of the hug blushing deeply.

"My Lady, it's good to see you're alright."

"Thank you, Gwen." Once the five of them entered the castle fully, Gwen stopped Diana in an empty corridor.

"Morgana just laid down for a nap but I'm sure she would happily be woken up by you."

"Thank you, Gwen. I think I'll go see her now."

"Oh no you won't." Arthur rejected.

"And why not?"

"Because you need to be checked out by Gaius."

"Arthur, I'm fine. I've got a few scrapes and bruises but Gaius can't do much for that." She said, purposefully omitting her sprained ankle and Arthur opened his mouth to argue but Merlin place a calming hand on his arm.

"Arthur, you know she's right. Besides Morgana still thinks Diana's captured and you know she's beating herself up over leaving her behind. Just let them have a few moments then we can send Gaius to check on her." Arthur contemplated Merlin's words then nodded.

"Very well, you can have a half hour. Then I'm sending Gaius up." Diana grinned and kissed Arthur on the cheek.

"Thank you." Diana grinned and raced as quickly as possible to Morgana's chambers. She paused just outside her chambers and quietly opened her door. She slipped into Morgana's room and found her in a fitful sleep. She rushed to her side and gently shook her.

"Morgana wake up. It's alright." Morgana gasped awake and shot up. She took a few calming breaths before focusing in on Diana sitting on the side of the bed. As soon as she realized Diana was real, she pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"Diana! I was so worried! I kept having dreams of what those monsters might do to you and I wasn't sure if they were just nightmares or seer dreams. They beat you and vi-violated you! I'm so sorry for leaving you behind!" Morgana said between sobs. Diana shivered at how easily that could have happened had Kendrick, his men, or Jon been less civilized. She shoved away those thoughts and focused on comforting Morgana.

"Hey, it's ok. _I'm_ ok. I've got a few scrapes and bruises but nothing worse. I'm glad you left me behind, that's what I wanted. I wanted _you_ safe." Diana said, cupping Morgana's face in her hands and wiping away her tears with her thumbs. Suddenly Morgana surged forward and captured Diana's lips with her own. Surprised, Diana didn't respond and Morgana pulled back horrified.

"I'm sorry! I was just so happy you were ok and now I've ruined our friendship."

"It's fine! It's better than fine...I like you Morgana. More than is appropriate and I know Uther wouldn't approve and I feared you would find my feelings disgusting but I love you Morgana." Diana said, looking away insecurely. She looked back when she felt Morgana's hands grab hers. Morgana's eyes were sparkling as she spoke.

"You're right. Uther would never approve but I don't care." She said defiantly. "I know in other kingdoms there are lords and ladies who openly court other lords and ladies. And Uther may call them Pagans but I know Druids have such relationships as well. So why should I hid my feelings from you. I love you Diana."

By the end of her speech Diana had tears flowing down her cheeks but both girls were grinning. Diana slowly leaned towards Morgana and closed the gap between them. As soon as their lips connected Diana's lips immediately opened and Gana's tongue slipped inside. Diana's left arm wrapped around her waist while her other hand cradled Morgana's cheek. Morgana's hands tangled into Diana's hair as their kiss grew more passionate. They finally broke apart when the need for oxygen became too great. They rested their foreheads against each others when there was a sudden knock. The girls jerked away from each other and Morgana called for the person to enter. Gwen entered and curtsied.

"My apologies for interrupting your reunion, but Uther requests Diana's presence to ensure she's healthy."

"Thank you, Gwen. I suppose I should have gone to see him first." She sighed.

"Well come along Morgana. Let's go see Uther." The raven haired ward stood up and the two linked arms as they often did. They proceeded to go visit the King, carrying one more secret that could get at least one of them executed if Uther found out.

A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! Marching Band and school have been taking up a ton of my time lately and I finally had time to update tonight. Quick shout out to my Marching Band who got a 54.2 at our first competition which is fantastic! I hope this longer chapter makes up for the long wait and I'll try not to get behind again. Thank you to all still following this story, I love you!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I would like to apologize to everyone who started reading this over the last year. I started college and this story was put on the back burner. I discovered that this is a really good stress relief and I have the next chapter almost complete. I have ideas for probably two or three more chapters but I'm not sure how much further I can take this one. If there are any episodes starting mid season 2 that you guys would like to see with a Merthur or Digana twist to it then please let me know! Enjoy!

Chapter 6

A couple months passed and Diana and Morgana grew closer everyday. They knew this wasn't just a passing fancy. This was destiny.

The two ladies were taking a walk through the castle gardens when a paige ran up to them. They both stopped walking and waited patiently for the paige to catch his breath.

"My Ladies, some new travelers have requested an audience with the King and he has called for both of your presence."

"Thank you for delivering the message, we will make haste." Diana replied courteously and both ladies quickly turned to the throne room. Upon arriving they took their respective places in next to the King and waited. The doors opened and Uther instantly recognized the woman who entered as the Lady Catrina. He gave his sympathies to her for her ruined home and deceased family and welcomed her into the palace. Afterward Merlin escorted Catrina to a guest room and the ladies returned to their walk.

"So was I the only one that noticed that Uther may have a little more interest in Lady Catrina than just 'friends'?" Diana asked Morgana, amusement coloring her voice.

"He did seem quite entranced with her," Morgana said with a slight smile. "I think it's a good thing. Perhaps with her around Uther will refocus his attention to wooing her rather than persecuting those with magic."

"True, but careful what you say Gana. We are still within the castle limits."

"Uther already knows I disagree with his view on magic but I'll watch what I say so he doesn't find out about "other" things." She conceded.

"Thank you." The rest of their stroll was peaceful with lots of flirting and a quickly snuck in kiss.

The next morning Diana went to visit Catrina but upon entry, found the chambers empty. Finding this curious, Diana continued further into the room to investigate. She walked around the bed and towards the rotten smelling table.

"Can I help you?" A harsh voice asked behind her. She jumped and turned around to see the owner of the voice was that of Lady Catrina's servant.

"I'm sorry, I just came to welcome Lady Catrina and see if she cared to join myself and the Lady Morgana for a late brunch. But it seems she is not here."

"My lady went for a ride early this morning and I'm afraid she won't be back for some time. Now if you will, I must prepare these quarters for her return and I'd prefer not to be distracted."

"Of course." Diana replied stiffly and left, confused with Jonas's behavior. She swiftly made her way through the castle to Morgana's chambers and entered without so much as a knock. She closed the door behind herself and strode into the center of her room where Morgana was putting on a necklace. Morgana glanced away from her vanity to her distressed partner.

"Diana? What's wrong?" The woman in question sat on the bed across from Morgana before responding.

"I wouldn't say something's wrong. I just feel uneasy about a few things."  
"Like what?"  
"I went to Catrina's room to see if she wanted to join us for brunch like we discussed yesterday, only when I entered the room it was completely empty. I got curious so I went further into the room and I discovered that the bed looked like it was unslept in and not only that but the fruit that Uther sent to her room last night was lying on the table but it was all rotting as if it were weeks old."

"That's disgusting!"

"I know, and then when I was there her servant Jonas came and more or less threw me out of the room. When I told him why I was there he just said she had gone riding and that I should leave. Which is odd because I went to the stables this morning to feed Starfire and none of the horses were missing."

"Well with everything you're telling me I think you'd be right to worry. Do you think it's possible that the Lady Catrina is not actually Lady Catrina?"  
"I think it's very possible, but how do we confirm that and what would we do about it?"

"Well we could bring our concerns to Merlin and once we figure out if she's an imposter then we tell Uther."

" I don't think we should tell Merlin. With Catrina here and the feast Uther wants to throw her Merlin is going to be overwhelmed helping Gaius while putting up with both Arthur and the kitchen's demands and I don't want to put more stress on him."

"You may have a point. Maybe we go to Gaius' and look through his books on magical creatures."

"No wait, I think I might actually know what she is if she's not Catrina."

"Well what is she?"  
"I think she might be a troll. They surround themselves with filth and rot which would explain the fruit in the room, though I don't know how she got it so. They prefer to sleep in filth so she probably found some other disgusting place to sleep in. They generally have some sort of creature as a servant which would be Jonas, and they love gold which would be why she is targeting Uther."  
"Brilliant! Now how do we prove this?"

"We should probably wait till tonight but then we can sneak down to the catacombs under the castle and see if she's hiding down there."

"Wonderful." Morgana said wrinkling her nose.

"You're the one who asked." Diana said with a light laugh. The two continued their day as they normally would. Including their private brunch, Morgana and Arthur's general snarky conversations, and the evening family dinner. Dinner went well up until Arthur noticed Morgana's comebacks weren't as well as they usually are.

"Is something bothering you Morgana?" He asked sardonically, but there was a very real hint of concern underneath.

"Now why would anything be bothering me?" She responded unconcerned.

"I can't help but notice that I have won 4 of our last 5 verbal spars and you've hardly touched your dinner." Diana glanced sternly at Morgana who gave a lazy shrug.

"Not that I have to explain anything to you, but I'm sure you remember Lord Jeffry from Essex who's visiting. He asked me to a late lunch this afternoon and I'm afraid that spoiled my apatite for dinner. And you only think you won those." Arthur looked affronted and just a little bit suspicious with her excuse. She's never cared all that much for visiting Lord's entertainment, but Uther was no longer looking at her closely so it didn't matter if Arthur bought it or not. When dinner was over the two retired to their respective rooms with an agreement to meet by the catacombs entrance at midnight.

Midnight came and the girls quietly snuck through the catacombs looking for any sign of a troll. They had almost given up when they turned a corner and Morgana gasped and threw herself back towards Diana. Just after, a giant troll went streaking by, wearing what looked like the ripped and stretched remains of the dress Lady Catrina was last seen in. They watched as she disappeared behind the next turn and looked back the way she came. There a part of the wall appeared to have collapsed and much of the dust was spinning in the air. The smell further down was overwhelming and both girls struggled to block out the smell. They quickly and quietly turned around and rushed back the way they came up to Morgana's room. Once there they smiled and congratulated each other on successfully figuring out the Troll Catrina.

"That was wonderful!"

"That smell was not wonderful." Morgana groused and Diana rolled her eyes.

"No but we figured it out now we just have to figure out a way to get her away from Uther."

"Why don't we just tell him she's a troll?"

"Yes that will go swimmingly. 'Sorry to tell you Uther but your new lady friend is a troll'."

"Well maybe don't phrase it that bluntly but we're his wards, he adores us. If we break it to him gently then maybe he will listen."

"You might have a point I suppose we can try it tomorrow and if not we'll have to think of something else."

"True. I wonder what she was running from?"

"You don't suppose she saw us do you?"

"No, she didn't even glance down our hall when she ran past, something else must have spooked her for her to make such a hasty retreat."

"We'll likely discover what it was soon. Nothing ever stays secret in this city long."

"Very true, well I suppose we should both get some rest now, My Love."

"Yes, I suppose so. Till tomorrow." The two shared a brief kiss and then Diana returned to her own set of chambers for the night.

* * *

It was a surprisingly beautiful morning when Diana and Morgana confronted Uther. They waited until after breakfast and approached him while he was working on reports at his desk. When they entered Uther stood up and greeted them both warmly.

"What would you girls like?" Morgana took a deep breath.

"Well Uther, we came to talk to you about the Lady Catrina."

"Ah yes, stunning isn't she." He said with a lovesick look in his eyes.

"Yes...but um we've got rather delicate information about her that we would like to share with you." Uther narrowed his eyes.

"This isn't more insanity about her being a troll is it." Both women looked at each other and tried to hide their surprise.

"May I ask who mentioned she was a troll?"

"Gaius did but he has admitted that he was just wary of her sudden arrival."

"Right, of course. We were going to let you know that we had heard rumors but clearly you've already been informed so we will just take our leave." Morgana said as she slowly grabbed Diana's arm and backed out of the room, leaving Uther puzzled at the quick escape. The girls remained silent until they made it back to Morgana's room.

"Well that went well." Morgana said as soon as the door closed.

"Yeah. Question is, now what?"

"Now we just have to figure out a way to get the troll to disappear and Uther to forget about her."

For the rest of the morning the girls discussed their plan and what the best way to get rid of the troll would be. Around noon that day a messenger knocked on the door and alerted the girls that the King requested everyone's presence in the throne room for a royal decree. Puzzled they both made their way to the throne room. Upon entering they took their spot at the front of the large awaiting crowd and waited for Uther. Soon enough the throne room was full of all sorts of nobles and knights but Arthur and Merlin were nowhere to be seen. Finally Uther and Catrina stepped to the center of the dais.

"Thank you all for coming. I am pleased to announce to you that I have asked the Lady Catrina to marry me and she has accepted!" Uther grinned and there was scattered applause from the surprised audience. Morgana and Diana simply gaped at each other. Suddenly the throne room doors were thrown open and Arthur barged in, followed closely by Merlin.

"Arthur! This is disgraceful, a crown prince should no better than to interrupt a wedding announcement so." Uther said scowling at his son.

"You're right father. If you were marrying the real Lady Catrina then I'd be happy seeing you marry, however as she is a troll it is my duty to put a stop to this at once." Arthur stated completely calm as he walked up the aisle. Uther looked uncertain for just a moment before his face turned enraged again.

"This is shameful! I will not have you speaking about your future queen this way!" Merlin whispered something to Arthur and suddenly he was dashing up the stairs toward his father. Time seemed to slow down in the next few moments. Diana watched in horror as Troll Catrina pulled a knife out of her dress and aimed at Arthur, who was distracted by his father. Suddenly Merlin was running toward Arthur and placing himself between the dagger and him as Catrina let it fly. Thinking quickly Diana whispered a quick spell and watched as the dagger changed it's direction just slightly. Arthur ripped a glowing red amulet off Uther and was promptly tackled by Merlin. Arthur quickly rolled to his feet and looked at Merlin who was perfectly safe save for the cut across his back from the dagger that was now firmly entrenched in the back of the throne. A quick look passed between the two men before Arthur turned to Catrina, who was surprisingly now very much a troll. He pulled out his sword and without any hesitation drove the sword into her belly. He pulled it out and stabbed her once more just for good measure. He turned back to his father as Uther stared at him.

"How?!" Uther asked, for once not perfectly composed.

"She was controlling you with this. Don't worry you're fine now." Arthur said throwing the amulet at Uther before directing his attention to Merlin.

"You idiot! What kind of servant would you be if you died on me now?" Arthur asked trying to act unaffected in front of all the nobles.

"One who was with you till the end of the line." Merlin answered with a cheeky smile and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Sure Merlin." He said clapping Merlin on the shoulder who winced. While on the outside Arthur remained cavalier, to those looking closely Arthur's attitude changed immediately.

"You know any decent master would have his servant's back looked at after a cut like that Arthur." Morgana said, saving Arthur in front of the king. Arthur nodded and pulled Merlin out of the room by the arm. Morgana, Diana, and Gaius quickly followed after the duo. Upon reaching Gaius' quarters, the trio found Merlin sitting on the wooden table and Arthur at his side with the most openly concerned face any of the trio had ever seen him with.

"There you are Gaius. He'll be fine right? There wasn't any poison on the dagger or anything, was there?" Arthur started talking as soon as he saw Gaius.

"I'm sure he's fine. The boy is more resilient than you know." He responded as he walked over to Merlin and demanded him to take off his shirt.

"You're lucky, my boy. One more inch down and that dagger would have been firmly in your back rather than just scraping it on the way to the throne. For now you're going to get stitches and I'll wrap up your back." Merlin sat grouchily as Gaius wrapped it up and Arthur made comments about that's what he gets for being an idiotic, self sacrificing manservant.

"Is there anything we could do to help, Gaius?" Diana asked.

"No, don't you worry. Merlin will be just fine, and I've got this taken care of." Gaius assured her.

"Then we will be taking our leave," Morgana said. " _Thank you,_ Merlin. For saving him." She finished with a pointed look at Arthur.

They spent the rest of the day having a picnic while the nobility and guards were busy recovering from the troll business, leaving them wholly undisturbed. There was a maze made of bushes behind the castle, and in the middle was a nice clearing with a fountain which is where they set up their food and blanket. It was a wonderful end to a hectic week which both women fully enjoyed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Three days passed since the Troll Incident and things quickly returned to normal. _It's a really beautiful day,_ Diana couldn't help but think as Morgana and her waited for Merlin. The sky was a bright, full light blue, the clouds were fluffy and pure white, there was a light breeze, and the leaves added vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow to the setting. Diana was sitting on the ground leaning her back against Morgana, who was leaning against a tree. Finally, after she nearly fell asleep, the two women heard leaves crunching and saw Merlin making his way into the clearing.

"I didn't think I was training a bunch of lazy sods in the powerful art of magic." He said good naturedly when he saw them reclining against the tree.

"I didn't think I was being trained by a tardy dollophead." Morgana immediately quipped back.

"Hey that's my word!"

"You let Arthur use it."

"I don't _let_ him use it; the bloody prat just does whatever he feels like doing. Now you two get up, we've got lots of practicing to do."

"Well I say you should tell us about Troll Catrina before anything else." Diana suggested.

"What is there to tell? You both saw everything that happened."

"Oh really. What about how you convinced Arthur that she was a troll and that he needed to stop the wedding?" Morgana said.

"Or what about why the two of you appeared to be covered in soot when you showed up?" Diana asked. Merlin gave them a long suffering sigh before answering.

"Only because you are both way too persistent. Your two questions have the same related answer. The night before the wedding I asked Arthur to meet me in the catacombs, I didn't say why but it was so I could show him Catrina. It worked perfectly up until Jonas spotted us and woke his mistress. When she woke up she collapsed the wall in front of us and we were stuck in a cave in. We tried to dig ourselves out for most of the night but it really wasn't getting us anywhere and I was worried that we would dislodge the wrong rock and have the whole thing fall down on us. So finally I worked up the courage to tell him I had magic and I could get us out of there, and the prat just smiled. Apparently he's known since Cornelius Sigan tried to take over and he was just waiting for me to trust him enough to tell him. After that I blew away the wall, we rushed to stop the wedding, and you know the rest." Morgana peered closely at Merlin.

"Something else happened, something you're not telling us."

"She's right, you're blushing Merlin."

"Well Arthur mayhavekissedme." Merlin mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Merlin sighed and took a deep breath.

"Well after I told him about my magic and blew away the wall, he was so excited about seeing me work magic and trusting in him, that he just kind of kissed me." Merlin said blushing and the women grinned.

"Anyways I was so shocked that I didn't reciprocate right away and then he thought I didn't feel the same and that he was exerting his power over me so I had to wipe that notion from his silly head and pulled him into one of the best kisses of my life. You two can stop giving me that look because we had a wedding to stop so that was as far as it went. Though that was also why he was so upset that I jumped in front of the blade. We'd only just begun and it was almost snatched away."

"You two are so adorable!" Diana exclaimed.

"I won't be so adorable when I have you lying on your back in a pile of mud because the two of you decided you were competent enough at magic to just forgo anymore lessens. Now get up and get ready." In no time the three sorcerers formed the usual training triangle by the riverside.

"Alright, today I want you to practice dueling each other but I only want you to use subtle magic. Think about if you're traveling through the forest with a squad of guards and bandits attack. You'll want to defend yourself but you can't have the knights catch you practicing. You can use whatever weapon you wish but if and when you use magic I want it to be so that even I have a difficult time seeing you do it." The two students nodded and Diana summoned two short swords while Morgana summoned her usual sword. All of the weapons were dulled and the women prepared.

Morgana was the first to attack. She went for the standard strike across the chest, which Diana could have easily defended against had Morgana not used that moment to throw her feet out from under her. Diana fell on her back and Morgana stood triumphantly with a sword against her heart. Diana scowled at her and Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"A little quick about it, but very effective. As long as none of the knights are looking directly at you then that is a good move. Again." Both women stood up and repositioned. This time neither one used magic on the first attack but when Diana had Morgana backed up against a tree, her eyes flashed gold and a large branch fell and knocked Morgana on the head. She fell, momentarily stunned, and glared up at Diana.

"At least I didn't use magic on my very first attack." Diana said without a hint of apology. Morgana rolled her eyes and the two got back into fighting position without Merlin even having to say anything. This one lasted much longer.

Morgana slashed at her stomach.

She blocked with one sword and used the other to cut at Morgana's throat.

Gana knocked the sword out of her hands with a flash of her eyes.

Diana threw her weight behind her remaining sword and threw Morgana backwards.

As Morgana recovered her feet, Diana took the time to recover her fallen sword.

She attacked Morgana with renewed vigor, slicing right and left with each sword as Morgana used all her concentration to block.

Diana broke through and thrust both swords in a cross at Morgana's neck.

She bent backwards as the swords went right above her face.

She used the moment to whisper a spell which caused a wave from the river to come up and soak Diana.

She pulled back, stunned, and glared at Morgana behind her dripping hair.

"Really?! That's subtle?"

"Maybe not, but it got you distracted." Gana said with a smirk.

"You wanna play it that way alright." Before Morgana could attack again Diana whispered a few words and two vines snaked out from the tree behind Morgana and wrapped her arms up. Morgana snapped the vines with a flash of her eyes, and then commanded the roots below Diana to pull her down. She fell on her face and responded by having a wave actually pull Morgana into the river and dunk her. The women focussed on their next move so much that they didn't notice Merlin running towards them.

"Girls! This is not subtle!" Both wards smirked at each other and in perfect synchrony summoned a wave in the shape of a horse to collapse on Merlin. With that one action they had effectively got Merlin caught in the game. Him being the more powerful of the three, immediately summoned two miniature tornadoes in retribution. They swirled around until they were full of leaves and then he threw each one at one of the soaked girls. The three of them took one look at each other and busted out laughing. All three of them were soaked, Diana had mud on the front of her pants from where she fell, Morgana had twigs caught in her hair, both had leaves caught in their clothing, and Merlin had a few leaves that clung to him when he summoned those tornadoes.

"So does everyone I know have magic, or just the incredibly stupid ones?" Asked a voice coming from behind Merlin. The three sorcerers turned to see Arthur with his hands on his hips looking quite serious.

"No more secrets huh?" He asked, this time looking at Merlin.

"Of mine. I said no more secrets _of mine_ to tell." He responded imploringly.

"And really Arthur, all those times Morgana warned you about something she dreamed and later it nearly came true, you never suspected?" Diana asked.

"She's been my father's ward since she was nine, why would I suspect she had magic? And besides the only thing I was raised to know about magic was that it was evil, there's no way for me to know that prophetic dreams were a thing." The sorcerers nodded along.

"So Merlin is the last dragonlord, Morgana is a seer, how on earth did you acquire magic Diana? Surely you didn't learn it just because Morgana has it." All three sorcerers couldn't help but laugh. Diana quickly schooled her features at Arthur's affronted look.

"No I didn't just learn it for Morgana. In fact out of all of us here I'm probably the one who has practiced it the most regularly since birth. I lied about what happened to me the day your father took me in at court. I wasn't attacked by bandits, I was attacked by Camelot's Knights. I came from a druid clan near the mountains which was attacked the day Merlin found me. I was the only survivor." Arthur looked positively sick as Diana told him her true story.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know how you can bare to stay in the capital."

"Before the attack my mother had dreams of a dark force taking over our clan. She said that everyone else's fates were clouded but I had 2 distinct paths, one of light and one of dark. Had I let my anger those first few months consume me, I have no doubt that Camelot would be a war ground right now, but Merlin helped me realize that if I took my vengeance out on Uther and those he loved then I would be no better than he. You didn't lead the attack Arthur, and over the months of my stay here I realized that you and Gana are not your father. It might have taken Merlin awhile to slowly convince you that magic isn't purely evil but you have grown much. Besides you aren't the Once and Future King for nothing."

"The _what?_ " Diana turned to Merlin.

"You didn't tell him?"

"He just found out about my magic and confessed his feelings for me. I thought I'd give him a little bit to recover before I told him about that."

"What exactly is a once and future king?" Arthur asked pointedly.

"My apologies, Arthur. There is a prophecy the druids have long held regarding Emry and the Once and Future King. Essentially it tells the tale of a bond so strong between the most powerful warlock to live and a king born in a dark time, that they will one day unite the seven kingdoms and return magic to the land. Merlin is very obviously Emrys and it is believed that you are the Once and Future King." Arthur contemplated all of this.

"Alright. So I will return magic to the land, but how? Even once my father dies and I become king, overturning a ban such as my father's requires a majority of the consent of the council which will likely still be largely composed of men loyal to my father. And even if I got their approval I have no idea what laws to place on magic, clearly I trust the three of you not to abuse your powers but there are others who will and how am I to know how to watch out for them." Merlin smiles at him.

"Us. You have three very powerful sorcerers who will forever be loyal to you. You need to know what limitations to put on, we will help you decide what's fair and just. You need to convince the council that some of us can be trusted, I will do whatever it is they request to prove my loyalty." No sooner were the words out of Merlin's mouth, then Arthur's face took on a look of momentary panic and in two long strides Arthur had encroached on Merlin's space and grasped his hands in an intimate gesture.

"Don't ever promise that Merlin. I trust your power with my life but the council can be vicious, I have no idea what they would request and I'd rather not put your life in their hands." Merlin nodded solemnly and Arthur's face eased. Remembering their company, Arthur stepped back and released one of Merlin's hands with a light pink dusting on his cheeks.

"So what exactly are you all doing out here."

"I'm training them in learning to control their powers, and honestly it's a chance for us all to relax and be ourselves without worry of persecution."

"Do you mind an audience?" Merlin looked to each of the girls then turned back to _his_ king with a beaming smile.

"Not at all."

They all returned to their places from before and continued training. This time the women actually maintained subtle uses, mostly using methods that Merlin had told them he's used before. At first Arthur seemed tense every time magic was subtly used, but after a few times he got this awestruck look in his eye. Of course his facial expression never changed from a politely interested look.

Just after high noon, the quartet settled down to enjoy a light lunch and well deserved rest. Arthur caught a rabbit and Morgana and Diana gathered a variety of nuts and fruits, while Merlin set up a fire to cook the meat. Lunch was passed in relative silence, everyone enjoying the peace in their clearing. After, Morgana sat against a tree braiding Diana's hair, whose head was in her lap, Diana created a flaming dragon and watched as it chased a water eagle, Arthur lay with his shirt off, tanning next to the lake, while Merlin had his pant legs rolled up and feet dipped in the cool water. Their serenity was shattered by the sound of a scream and the bushes rustling.

Arthur jumped to his feet and each of the others stilled in their actions. All eyes turned east towards the sound of the cry. A few tense moments passed before the bushes parted and a green streak crossed their clearing. Arthur held his arm out and stopped the young girl attempting to run. She looked no more than 8 and had tears streaming down her face. There were cuts up her arms and she was dressed in typical druidic fashion. Arthur grabbed each of her shoulders in a loose hold and knelt down so they were eye to eye.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" The girl looked at him through tear filled eyes.

"Can't…stop...my brother...Knights...I don't want to die!" She gasped out through the tears and heavy breathing. Merlin stepped closer to Arthur and spoke quietly.

"There is a large sum of people coming. From the sound of it, they're on horseback." He said worriedly and Arthur nodded thoughtfully. He looked at the three sorcerers in the clearing and nodded at them.

"Do whatever you have to."

"There may be a way to keep the knights from spotting us without us having to fight your men." Diana said calmly. Arthur nodded his assent, and Merlin, Morgana, and Diana linked hands as the latter started chanting quietly. The other's lent her their power as she fueled her spell. Arthur gripped the young girl protectively as the trees burst open and a half dozen knights burst in with a young druid man strapped across one of the horses, hands bound.

The knights glanced across the clearing looking for any signs of movement. Sir Lionel was sure the little girl came this way. For another minute they kept their eyes and ears open for any hint of someone hiding. When nothing showed Lionel turned to the rest of his men.

"The girl clearly used some form of witchery to escape us. It matters not. We have the man and once we deliver him to our King, he will lead us to the rest of the evil practitioners." With that the Knights turned around and rode out, none noticing the significant looks the druid kept giving the empty clearing.

The five occupants let out their held breath as the knights disappeared. The sorcerers dropped their arms and Arthur knelt down in front of the young girl again.

"My name is Arthur, can you tell me yours?"

"Augusta."

"Ok Augusta, was that your brother with the men on horses?" Augusta nodded, tears returning.

"Ok shh. It's ok, are you able to tell us what happened? How did the knights find you so far out here"

"Our clan moves base around every fortnight. Damian had just got back from trading in one of the villages and he promised to take me for a picnic. We were just on the crest of the hill when the men came. We weren't even practicing a lot of magic. We just had lights floating since the forest was kind of dark." The druid is near in tears again and Arthur pulls her into a hug.

"It's going to be ok. You're safe now." The girl pulled away and looked at him suspiciously.

"Why are you all the way out here?"

"Well you see, we live in Camelot, but my friend was born with magic so we come out here so he can practice without fear." The girl looked to Merlin and raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't look very magical."

"How is it that every other druid can sense I'm Emrys, but the one time we're trying to comfort one she can't even tell I have magic?" He asked looking affronted. The girl suddenly looked around the clearing with wide eyes.

"I felt the magic around here, but I thought that I stumbled upon a druid sacred ground. All this residue, it's from you?" She asked excitedly.

"Well me and my friends. I'm training the women how to control their powers."

"Show me." She demanded and Merlin smiled. Without saying a word he lifted his hand and his eyes flashed gold. He opened his hand and Augusta watched vividly as dozens of flaming fireflies flew out and around her head. She laughed and squinted her eyes at him.

"Why are you in Camelot?" Merlin scratched his head nervously.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard that where Emrys is, so too is the Once-and-Future-King." The girl nodded.

"Mama says that there are whispers the Once-and-Future-King is the King's son." She said in a faux whisper. Merlin chuckled lightly and eyed Arthur. The druid was much more observant than the adults gave her credit for, and gasped. She spun to the Prince.

"You're Arthur. Prince Arthur Pendragon." Her voice sounded like it couldn't decide between fear or awe.

"I am, and if my sources are correct I am also the Once-and-Future-King and I swear to you that you will never need to fear me, simply for your gift." The Prince said calmly. "Now, do you know the way back to your camp?" The girl gave him a look. "Right, of course you do. So, how about this. I will send Emrys with you to make sure you get back safely, and then me and my sisters will return to Camelot and help your brother escape." Augusta nodded but Merlin grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him off to the side.

"Arthur," He whispered quietly. "You're father loves you, but you know that he will not be dissuaded when it comes to magic. Not even by you."

"I know, but I can still argue or distract him so Morgana or Diana can get him out. And I need you to go with her and make sure she gets back safely. Stay with the druids until we return her brother, and if the Knights beat us there then do anything you have to to protect them."

"Fine, but don't do anything foolish." Merlin demanded.

"I'm not the idiot."

"Prat!" Arthur pulled him in for a kiss. The others looked away from the intimate scene until Merlin pulled away.

"Go be the Prat in Shining Armor. I've got to return a little girl home." Arthur nodded and returned to the wards, picking up his only just remembered shirt on the way. Merlin held his hand out to Augusta and let her guide him towards her camp. With one last look at the departing duo, the three royals raced their way towards Camelot.

* * *

Horses draw too much attention so the sorcerers only used them once in awhile. That day was not one of the days. Despite the magic fuelling the three as they sped through the forest, they were still much slower than the returning Knights and by the time the reached the city gates there was much gossip concerning the druid they brought in. The three royals could not be seen running through the city streets so they slowed to a polite walk as they made their way through the city and to the throne room. They approached the closed throne room doors. Arthur walked up to the man standing guard.

"Has the druid been brought it?"

"Yes, my Lord. The King is charging him as we speak. I don't mean to presume but if you wish to oversee the hearing, I'd suggest entering through the side door by the dais." Arthur nodded at the man and led Morgana and Diana to the side door. The three slipped quietly into the throne room and stuck to the shadows, observing. The druid was kneeling in the center, hands bound, and Uther sat in his throne staring coldly down at a boy who looked barely 14 summers old.

"I will ask you one last time boy, where is your camp?" Uther demanded. The druid remained silent. Behind the visible fear, was a strange sort of cold defiance held in his eyes.

"Sire, we found him and the girl at the river near the Whistling River. It is a likely place for his kind to hide by." The knight from before stated. The King nodded.

"Good. Gather some men and head there at the hour." He refocused on the druid. "You are guilty of the crime of practicing magic, consorting with other practitioners, and impeding justice. The penalty for which is death. You shall be burned at dawn." The guards pulled him to his feet and he glanced to the shadowed corner briefly before looking back at Uther.

"I may burn in the morning but I pray for your soul, for it is you who shall burn in damnation forever for the pain you wrought on everything you touch." The King could do nothing but watch in satisfaction as the druid was dragged from the room and down to the dungeons. The court quickly dispersed and Arthur followed his father to his room.

"Arthur, where were you this afternoon?" He asked as he threw his gloves on his desk.

"Morgana and Diana wanted to go for a ride, so I followed to ensure they were safe." Uther visibly softened.

"I could have used you in there. It is important to show a united front to magic."

"Yes, ah…" Arthur said hesitantly which caused Uther to look at him fully. "Father, he's a druid. They've never openly attacked us, could we not let him go as a warning?" Uther sighed and looked down.

"Sometimes I worry you have too much of your mother in you. I understand your wish to show mercy, son, but magic is the exception. You show a magic user an inch of mercy and they will use it to strangle you."

"But-"

"Enough! I already have to argue Morgana on this enough, do not make me fight you too." He said warningly.

"Of course, father. You know best." Arthur said stiffly. Uther sighed.

"It has been a long day. You should rest."

"And you." Uther waved dismissively and Arthur left. Outside, Arthur was met on either side by each of Uther's wards.

"You know I didn't hear a lot of yelling, so it can't have gone too bad." Morgana said to his left, and Arthur snorted.

"Well he didn't threaten to throw me in the dungeons for insubordination but he also isn't going to budge. I think he expected you to confront him more than me."

"Well, I have always been the dissenting child. Perhaps I _should_ have been the one to talk to him."

"The most that would have come from that would have been Uther being mildly amused by you arguing with him again rather than mildly irritated that Arthur is now picking up your habits." Diana argued.

"So what do we do?" The trio stopped by an alcove and Arthur looked to the women for a suggestion.

"Before I came to Camelot, my specialty in magic was nature and transportation spells. If I can get into the cell unseen and alone with the druid then I can easily teleport us to our clearing and he can direct me to their clan so I can warn of the approaching knights."

"I can distract the guards while you go down. They'll likely be expecting some sort of 'tantrum' from me anyways." Morgana added.

"The knights shouldn't be leaving for a few more moments. I should be able to convince them that father sent me to lead the group and I can try to slow them down. I won't be able to completely drive them off course since they already know where we are going but I can make excuses to make us go slower, and give you the time you need to get the camp evacuated."

"Sounds like we have a plan. We should get moving now if we want to beat the knights." The trio wished each other luck and moved into their positions.

Diana followed a few feet behind Morgana as she made her way down to the dungeons. She watched behind the last curve in the wall as Morgana started chastising the guards. She practically manhandled the guard over to another one further down the cells. Diana stifled a smile as Morgana's righteous indignation floated through the cells as she dragged more guards into her furious rant. Making sure no other guard was near, and with a clear picture of what the druid's cell looked like, Diana whispered quietly and felt her power pick up around her.

"Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard." She watched the wall in front of her disappear and then the cell bars were in her face. She stepped back quickly, shocked at how far she undershot her goal. A rattle of chains had her turning around to find the young boy standing up near the window.  
"Hello. I mean you no harm, but I'm afraid we do not have time dally."

"You were one of the one's I sensed in the clearing."

"You recognized us?" She asked with a cock of her head.

"I could feel that there was some sort of magic occurring while the others saw an empty clearing. And then I felt it again when you and the other two appeared in the throne room. Why were you there?"

"I will explain, but first we must get out of here. I'm not sure how much longer my friend can keep the guards distracted. Please?" She said holding her hand towards him. He hesitated but a moment before grasping her hand. She repeated her spell from before, but closing her eyes this time and picturing the clearing. The breeze blowing through the air alerted her that she accomplished her task. She let go of the boy's hand and he looked at her curiously.

"Why do you have a faint feel of home?" Diana pulled her hair away from her neck and allowed him to see the mark there.

"I am Diana, Daughter of Romas of the Foxpaw Clan"

"That clan was known for it's great seers. I heard that they were massacred by knights though."

"Aye, near 2 summers ago. I survived because my friend delivered me to Emrys before my wounds could consume me, and together we have helped the Seer Morgana learn to control her power and kept the Once-and-Future-King alive."

"You know the man of the prophecy?" He asked in wonder.

"I do. You saw him too. He was the blonde who was with myself and Morgana when we entered the throne room."

"...but that looked like the Prince."

"He is, and he also kept your sister safe from the knights and sent Emrys to ensure that she returned to your clan safely. Now we really must get to your camp. Arthur said he will attempt to slow down the knights, but I do not know how long he can buy us. We need to get your people evacuated." The druid nodded, attention immediately refocusing on the mission. He took the lead and they swiftly made their way through the forest. About ten minutes later they broke through the tree line and the forest burst into life. There was a clearing with about a 20 foot diameter, a few tents were set up and cleaning stations were set up against a river that ran through to caves in the back. Waterfalls fell down over the cave's entrance and fed the river. Immediately in front of us a group of no more than 6 kids watched as Merlin made mini flowers out of fire and then burst them into little fireworks for them.

"Damian!" Cried the girl sitting right next to Merlin, and suddenly the druid had his arms full with Augusta.

"Gus, I see you've been making friends." He said looking at Merlin.

"Merlin brought me back here while his friends went to get you. I knew the true King would save you."

"You're very smart Gus. Now how about you go pack all of our stuff, just like I showed you for whenever we move camp.

"But we've only been here for a few days."

"Yes but we never want to be too careful."

"We're leaving cuz you and I got caught, aren't we?" She asked and he sighed.

"Sometimes you're too intuitive for your own good. Yes, we are leaving because we don't want the guards to find us after yesterday. Now can you go pack?"

"Ok." She jumped away from him and towards their tent. Merlin approached and Damian inclined his head.

"Emrys, it's an honor."

"Please, just call me Merlin. Any news?" He asked, directing the last part more towards Diana.

"After Arthur's inevitable failure to convince his father the druids should be left alone, he got me to get Damian out and then said he would lead the knights coming and try to slow them down, but I'm not sure how much longer he can give us. We need to get the camp evacuated."

"The elders can usually be found near the tent closest to the falls."

The two newcomers followed Damian as he led them up and reached out with his mind to alert the elders of their presence. They waited for just a few moments before the tent flap was opened and they took their silent invitation to enter. A man standing near the back, with graying blond hair and browns eyes, stepped forward and spoke.

"Welcome travelers. Damian it is good to see you safe. You have our thanks, Lady of Camelot. But what troubles your mind so?"

"I was only able to help Damian, with the help of the Lady Morgana and Prince Arthur. They are doing their best to distract the King and the Knights respectively but if we wish it not to be in vain then we need to evacuate your camp now. I do not know how much longer His Highness will be able to continue to slow the knights." The young sorcerers waited patiently as the elders appeared to speak to each other's mind. After an indeterminable amount of time, the chief turned to them once again.

"We will begin immediately, but please stay to the side and do not speak. The adults know how to prepare for this and we do not want to frighten the children."

The two from Camelot watched from the side as the camp quickly and efficiently packed up. Fires were doused, laundry was packed, and tents were disassembled. In less than ten minutes the camp was cleaned and there was a trail of druids making their way behind the waterfall to hidden caves. About half the group had made it through when a barrage of bird whistles float through the camp. Diana remembered having the same warning code at her camp, not that it did any good when an army of 30 slaughtered the scouts and the rest of them before they could get more than a handful of whistles out. The urgency of evacuation peaked at that and everyone moved just shy of running towards the waterfall. A few short moments later, and about half a dozen scouts entered the clearing and headed for the falls as well. Merlin and Diana waited in the back, along with the elders. The distant sounds of hooves were heard as the last of the druids entered the falls. The elders followed shortly behind and Merlin and Diana followed.

She heard the break in the treeline just before she passed under the cool water, but when she looked behind the knights appeared to have seen nothing. A small trio stood behind her, eyes closed in concentration, and Diana could feel the magic pouring into the clearing. She watched as the knights seemed to not see the smoke curling from the dead fire, nor as if they saw any of the few running towards the falls as they should have when they first entered. The knights scoured the clearing and Arthur critically looked around. His eyes alighted on the waterfall and he made his way in that direction. He sent one of the knights getting near to the other side of the clearing and continued to peruse near the falls. After a considerable amount of time he turned to face the rest of the knights.

"Men! It was a good guess that they would be here but clearly if they were, they have moved on by now. Perhaps they thought that with one of them captured it would be best for them to cut their losses and leave. We shall leave now and report to my father. Keep your eyes open for anything you may see on the trail back." Arthur spoke like a true son of Uther but as the men re-saddled their horses, he turned and spoke lowly, so only those in the caves would hear him.

"Get them to safety swiftly, and return home soon my friends."

* * *

A/N: I'm not too thrilled with the ending of this chapter but I'm running out of inspiration for this story. :(

Sorry guys.


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